Falling With A Rooster

Podcast #75

“Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away [and be ashamed and be afraid to be associated with Me as disciples], because it is written, ‘I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’will strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered.

But after I have been raised [from the dead], I will go ahead of you to Galilee.” But Peter said to Him, “Even if they all fall away [and desert You, ashamed and afraid of being associated with You], yet I will not [do so]!”

Jesus said to him, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, this very night, before a rooster crows twice, you will deny and [that you even know] Me three times.”

But Peter kept saying insistently, “If I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And they all were saying the same thing as well. Then all of His disciples abandoned Him and fled.

While Peter was down below in the courtyard, one of the servant-girls of the high priest came, and when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked intently at him and said, “You were with Jesus the Nazarene, too.”

But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you are talking about.” Then he went out [of the courtyard] to the porch, [and a rooster crowed.] The servant-girl saw him, and began once more to tell the bystanders, “This [man] is one of them.”

But again he denied it. After a little while, the bystanders again said to Peter, “You are in fact one of them, for [it is clear from your accent, that] you are a Galilean, too.”

But he began to invoke a curse [on himself] and to swear [an oath], “I do not know this man you are talking about!” Immediately a rooster crowed the second time.

And Peter remembered what Jesus said to him: “Before a rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.”

And thinking of this, he began weeping [in anguish].”

Mark 14:27-31, 50, 66-72 AMP

Sometimes we speak before we think. Under pressure, we blurt out words without thinking. It’s like acting like we don’t have brains. In the movie The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy asks the Scarecrow how he can talk without a brain, he replies: "I don't know. But some people without brains do an awful lot of talking, don't they?” That’s a way of saying our words don’t match our beliefs.

I had lunch yesterday with Elijah, a young man who graduated from this school last year. He mentioned that his basketball team (from a public school) played against a few Christian schools. The players whom you’d believe were Christians did not exhibit a particularly noticeable Christ-like behavior. For some of them it was quite the opposite.

HBU? Is your behavior noticeably Christ-like? Will you fall away and hear the rooster crow?

Roosters

I used to think roosters only crowed in the morning as a wakeup call. The shrill cry of an early rising rooster has pierced many a sleeping ear. Roosters crow when there’s danger or as a wakeup call. Truth be told folks, as it always should, roosters crow any time they just feel like crowing!

Most humans who mimic roosters usually do so through a “cock-a-doodle-doo!” Methinks that’s a pretty far cry from what a crowing rooster actually sounds like.

Funny thing about roosters, they’re deaf to the loudness of their crowing. God designed roosters in a way that protects their ears from the 100 to 140 decibels blaring from their beaks.

If you’re right next to the rooster, the noise level is like being at a rock concert or listening to jet engine taking off. That’s loud folks, but the rooster is immune to the impact of its own voice.

When the rooster opens its mouth, part of the ear canal closes, and soft tissue covers a portion of the ear drum.

Simon Peter heard the rooster crow. It was like an alarm going off as an alert to an enemy. The enemy that was allowed to enter was pride and extreme confidence in the flesh.

Jesus allowed Peter to fall to strengthen him through failure so Peter could strengthen others. Wisdom and compassion in their highest forms come through suffering and struggle.

The boldness and confidence in Peter’s flesh was no match for Satan’s request to “sift Peter like wheat.” The sound of the roosters crowing was a spiritual pecking at the pride of Peter.

A man was broken by the sound of a crowing rooster. Simon Peter had his conscience seared by the sound of a screaming bird. The rooster might as well have been screaming, “Shame on you! You denied your best friend and Savior three times in His hour of greatest need!”

Some churches have a rooster on their steeples. It’s a symbol of our likelihood of falling and the guarantee we have In Christ that through repentance at the cross we receive forgiveness, mercy and grace.

Peter fell, but that wasn’t the end of the story. God’s grace and mercy is always louder than a rooster crowing. He restores humiliated and embarrassed people whose extreme confidence became shame mired in extreme pride.

Arrogant confidence is self-centered pride that ultimately leads to destruction.

Humble confidence is Christ-centered thoughtfulness that values others above ourselves.

Today’s Assignment

Take a few moments to write about what you will do to avoid becoming someone who will fall away.

Be prepared to stand and give your advice to help your friends avoid becoming someone who falls away into arrogant confidence and self-centered pride.

Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody. Jesus loves you and so do we.

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